Emmy Noether (1882 - 1935)

Called "the most significant creative mathematical genius thus far produced since the higher education of women began" by Albert Einstein, Emmy Noether escaped Germany when the Nazis took over and taught in America for several years. She was described by Pavel Alexandrov, Albert Einstein, Jean Dieudonné, Hermann Weyl and Norbert Wiener as the most important woman in the history of mathematics.

Noether remained a leading member of the Göttingen mathematics department until 1933; her students were sometimes called the "Noether boys". In 1924, Dutch mathematician B.L. van der Waerden joined her circle and soon became the leading expositor of Noether's ideas: Her work was the foundation for the second volume of his influential 1931 textbook, Moderne Algebra.

By the time of her plenary address at the 1932 International Congress of Mathematicians in Zürich, her algebraic acumen was recognized around the world. The following year, Germany's Nazi government dismissed Jews from university positions, and Noether moved to the United States to take up a position at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania.

In 1935 she underwent surgery for an ovarian cyst and, despite signs of a recovery, died four days later at the age of 53.

Known for
As one of the leading mathematicians of her time, she developed the theories of rings, fields, and algebras. In physics, Noether's theorem explains the connection between symmetry and conservation laws.

Although Noether's theorem had a significant effect upon classical and quantum mechanics, among mathematicians she is best remembered for her contributions to abstract algebra. In his introduction to Noether's Collected Papers, Nathan Jacobson wrote that "The development of abstract algebra, which is one of the most distinctive innovations of twentieth century mathematics, is largely due to her – in published papers, in lectures, and in personal influence on her contemporaries."

She sometimes allowed her colleagues and students to receive credit for her ideas, helping them develop their careers at the expense of her own.

Find more
Wikipedia

Phillips, Lee (May 2015). "The female mathematician who changed the course of physics—but couldn't get a job". Ars

Brewer, James W; Smith, Martha K. (eds.). Emmy Noether: A Tribute to Her Life and Work. New York: Marcel Dekker. ISBN 978-0-8247-1550-2.